Xmen Evolution There's no title yet I'm sorry!
by Vicki1
Summary: Yes, there's a new mutant but she will be portrayed as a completely, hopeless geek (and she will not do a "She's all that") Fred is the main male lead, and basically the premise is Crystal discovering her powers and her developing relationship with Fred
1. Default Chapter

Well, here it is! My first attempt at a X-men Evolution fic! Basically the inspiration came from wanting truly geeky mutants. LOL! Seriously though, sure the X-men are mutants, but they have no problem at all fitting in at school-in fact, they're all pretty popular. Then, the real dorks like Fred and Todd are the bad guys! It just didn't fit with me right, you know? So, anyway, this little fic is supposed to be light-hearted story, I think. Some humor I think will come (these first two parts are actually kind of not so light-hearted, but ah, no one's perfect! LOL!). And yes, there is a new character/mutant. That would be Crystal and at the moment, she has no idea she's a mutant (don't worry, she'll find out soon enough). Anyway, I'm pretty sure she's not a "Mary-Sue" character (shudder) considering that she's a dorky loser, a complete klutz, not glamourous or beautiful or anything like that, has no control of her powers, can't fight, would never think of telling off an authority figure let alone a peer, and is very shy and always feels awkard. I must admit, much of the inspiration comes from my own experience of feeling a bit out of place (she's much more overexagarated, though) and dealing with that which is the torture of high school. Anyway, Fred is the major male lead. Basically, I felt that the creators of the show completely treated him unfairly. Although I personally never been overweight, the concept of being different (Fred being very obviously different) and being ridiculed for it is something I think that many ppl can relate to. Furthermore, I didn't like the fact that he was the dorky and to be frank, "fat kid," but was made into a bad guy while the more popular kids stayed good guys. Sorry, it just bothered me a bit, because from my own experiences, the geeks of HS aren't vengenful, mean people at all for the most part. Mainly, just hurt and such, but the popular kids seemed to be the worser of the two groups (yes, that is stereotypical-don't worry, not all the popular kids are carictures for evil in my story at all. In fact, I purposely put Timothy Dukes in to give those ppl more depth, and of course, Jean and such). As I said, I want it to be mostly light-hearted, but some of those insecurities and out of place feelings are undertones in the story I suppose. Anyway, the main premise is Crystal discovering and coming to terms with her power and such and Fred and Crystal's relationship...not that I want to give anything away (like you can't figure it out...LOL!). Of course, the rest of the X-men and Brotherhood will be very much an intricate part of the plot, I hope. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what will develop as sub plots and maybe even eventually into a larger more involved plot, but right now I'm keeping it a rather simple, light-hearted story. Well, please read and respond and I hope you all enjoy it (and constructive criticism is always welcome, especially on my own characters, because I do like to fully develop them into individuals that aren't "Mary Sues." Also, for me, it's important that I keep the others in character because I think it's annerving if their out of character)! Oh, and I'm sorry if the format is a bit screwy...LOL!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-men Evolution or anything, but Crystal Waters (yes, her name is Crystal. I chose this name partially as a little jib at those "Mary Sue" characters-it will be the receiver of some snickers), Timothy Dukes, and Aunt Helen.   
  
Ps. I MIGHT change the Principal from Principal Kelly which I know is wrong...but actually, I never really like him as principal. Anyway, the reason is, I have this very humorous sub story in mind for Scott but it would require an equally humorous principal...or psycopathic anyways. LOL! Also, I want to eventually start developing (separate from this of course) a Buffy/Evo crossover but I having difficulty getting something set...any ideas? All I know is I want Buffy and Scott to be cousins...  
  
The alarm clock rang loudly at exactly 6:30 am, blaring obnoxiously through the silence.  
Crystal groaned, turning on her side and squinting slightly. From her windows came small streams of sunlight through the blinds, the sun in the process of rising. She moaned again, closing her eyes tightly, and rolled onto her stomach, burying her head into her pillow to muffle the alarm clock and to block the light.  
Twenty three minutes later a shout came from downstairs, where her Aunt Helen called to her from the bottom of the staircase with her strict, abrasive voice, "Crystal. Crystal! Are you awake?"  
"Huh…?" She uttered from her sleepy daze, having fallen back asleep, the alarm continuing steadily throughout.   
"Wake up, Crystal!" Aunt Helen shouted sharply.   
With this, Crystal's eyes fluttered open and she called back meekly, "I'm awake, Aunt Helen," feeling her eyes grow heavy as she succumbed to her weariness again.  
"Good. We'll be leaving in ten minutes!" Then Aunt Helen left the staircase and proceeded back to the kitchen of the house.  
Crystal jolted up in bed and her eyes, wide-open, instantly stared down at her alarm clock, still blaring, to read "6:54" in bright red numbers. "Oh no," she said to herself.  
A sickening sensation suddenly hit her. It seized her stomach in a wave, passing through her unexpectedly as she sat up in bed, and the urge to vomit overcame her for a moment. She frowned, filled with uncontrollable trepidation and fell back in her bed, not wanting to leave it.  
It would be her first day at her new school, Bayville High School, and she was dreading every part of it. She bit her lower lip thinking about it; how she was not going to fit in and how she wasn't going to know a single person there. Although, upon reflection, she wasn't certain if the latter was actually a negative thing. Perhaps it was better she didn't know anybody. But then there would be first impressions, and if anything, Crystal was bad at first impressions. And second ones. And third ones.  
Forcing herself, she willed her body out of bed, stumbling onto the cold floor-it was the middle of January. Her fell upon the clock again, which now read "6:56." With this, she panicked. I only have four minutes!, she thought. She ran to her closet and pulled out a simple pair of over-sized light blue-jean overalls. Then, from her bureau, she pulled out a red tank top and a white button-down sweater. Moving swiftly, she changed, throwing her pajamas onto her unmade bed. Then, she scurried across the hall to the bathroom, where she tried to make the most of her unkempt, disheveled hair.   
Her hair. It was quite strange. Extending to right above her waist, it was loosely wavy That morning, she pulled part of it back, as she typically did, yet strands always seemed to fall out, framing her face and such, while her bangs fell across her forehead. But that was the peculiar part. Besides always being rumpled, it's pigmentation was a very light, pale blue. Crystal had no true explanation for this, and neither did her Aunt Helen, who's only valid rationalization was that Crystal was an albino. Crystal assumed this could be plausible, her own complexion pale and white, almost pasty. In any case, the doctors were sure it was the result of some genetic defect. All Crystal knew was that it resulted in much unwanted ridicule.  
For a moment, the young fifteen year old glanced at herself in the mirror. She was thin, but not attractively thin in the slightest. Instead, she was rather scrawny, almost bony, any figure she might have had buried underneath her unflattering baggy overalls. Short in stature, she reached only about five feet and one inch, and she held herself in a timid fashion. Her face was small and meek, large blue eyes, a tint slightly darker than her unusual hair, radiating low self-confidence and uncertainty. Like the rest of her frame, her face was also a bit bony but had a kind look about it. Although she was not beautiful, she wasn't ugly either. She was a kind of mundane pretty, not glamorous or gorgeous, but acceptable enough in her dull, ordinary sort of way.   
"Crystal!" Called her Aunt Helen from the bottom of the stairs. Quickly, Crystal heeded, rushing from the bathroom, grabbing her mainly empty book bag, sneakers, and coat, and staggering down the stairs. "Crystal!" her aunt had begun to call again as she made her way down the stairs.   
Aunt Helen stood in a stately form at the bottom of the staircase with a watching eye. She was a stark women, in her mid forties. Tall and thin, her dark brown hair was pulled back neatly into a tight bun. Dressed for work as the new principal at Bayville Junior High School (the other took early retirement due to heart problems), she wore a brown suit jacket with matching knee-length brown skirt. Underneath was an attractive yet conservative blouse. Her face was stern and worn, yet was not all together unkind. However, she frowned to see her niece coming down the stairs looking so untidy, especially on her first day at a new school. After a moments thought, though, she sighed and said, mostly to herself, "Well, at least you're ready. Come on." Crystal followed her Aunt quietly, thoughts elsewhere. "Did you have something to eat this morning? Of course not-what time did you wake up again? Oh, never mind that. Here's you're lunch. Let's go." Her Aunt spoke quickly and directly, and soon the two had left the modest home to start another chapter in their lives.  
  
It had begun snowing that Monday morning, as students began to scurry in from their fun-filled weekend.  
Fred Dukes entered Bayville High that morning, amidst the usual stares and snickers. He pretended not to hear, of course, ignoring his peers as he trotted down the hall. Sometimes he would give them a threatening stare to intimidate them. Reaching his locker, he had difficulty accurately turning the dial with his large fingers, but after a few attempts he managed to get it open and he began to take out the books he needed for his morning classes.  
Down the hall, awhile away, he could hear the laughter of the some of the players from the varsity basketball team and some girls-cheerleaders most likely. The group was discussing something fun that had happened that past Saturday night at some party that Fred had not been invited to. However, his eyes suddenly fixated on one of them with a painful anger. He was laughing jovially, which accentuated his good looks. Handsome, he was tall and well-built, although not as muscular as the brawny Duncan who stood beside him and definitely not as large or massive as the incomparable Fred. He wore his letter jacket, as he always did, and brushed his hand through his loosely curly, almost wavy sandy blonde hair. He's stunning blue eyes shimmered the entire time.  
Fred gritted his teeth, forgetting about what he was doing as he stared with uncontrollable envy. "Jealous , heh?" Came a condescending voice as Pietro swept in front of him with his usual flare and speed.  
"No!" Fred said, his voice borderline shouting. Todd came hopping from behind.  
"Hey, man, I wouldn't blame you . I'd be jealous too if Timothy Dukes was my cousin." he told his friend.   
"I said I wasn't jealous!" Fred insisted, although rather unconvincing. In truth, it was very hard for him not to be envious. Tim was everything Fred wasn't and everything Fred always wanted to be. It was as if Tim had been born with a mutant gene as well; the X-gene for inhuman perfection. And it was bad enough that there were popular kids who were always picking on him and ridiculing him behind his back. And it was equally bad that he had such an absolutely perfect cousin that he was always compared to at family get-togethers and the like. Now, the two had been mixed together, and it had been the most miserable two months of Fred's life.   
"Ah, it's not that bad, Freddy." Pietro continued to patronize. "So what if he's handsome and athletic and smart, not to mention almost as popular as Duncan? And it's only been two months, too…that's too bad…and the only reason why people notice you is because you're, well-look at you!" He laughed.  
"Shut up!" Fred bellowed, angered. Pietro backed away.  
"Hey, man, it's not my fault. Besides, he's not that great, anyway. I mean, he could be me. Then he'd be something." Fred and Todd looked at each other. "Well, I've got to be going. I'll see you losers, later. See ya." And he sped away. There was silence as the two walked along for a moment before Todd spoke up with a comforting tone.  
"Hey, Fred, it's not-"  
"Where's Lance?" Fred interrupted quickly.  
"Oh, Lance? He's around, you know. He went to look for Kitty. He's always looking for Kitty." By this time, the small group of jocks and cheerleaders dispersed and Tim, with Duncan at his side, was heading towards Fred and Todd.   
"Hey, Fred," He said as the two passed. Fred kind of muttered something indecipherable, unable to form words due partially to his envy but more so to the intimidating feeling he had when ever he was around his cousin. Tim and Duncan continued down the hall, Duncan saying something inaudible to Fred and Todd, and then let out a loud laugh, looking over his shoulder to stare at the two mutant friend.  
Fred slumped against the locker, slamming his fist hard against it. "Those stupid jerks! I know they said something."  
"They're always saying something," Todd said.  
"They were making fun of us. Of me!" Fred had a scowl on his face but his eyes were deeply hurt.  
"Don't worry, Freddy. They'll get there's one day. You'll see."  
"Yeah, I guess," Fred grumbled, but he was seriously beginning to doubt it. They never seemed to get anything but something good. Fred sighed, frustrated with it all, and melancholy said "Come on, Todd. We'd better get to homeroom." 


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for those who read and reviewed! Here's the next chapter. I'm still getting a feel for the characters, so I hope I'm portraying them all all right. I'm glad that there are other ppl who like Freddy too. I have to admit, though, he's probably the hardest to write because I'm trying to make sure that I portray him compassionately and with more dimension but not take him complete out of character from the Fred we see on the show. I'm also trying to add a side story involving some of our favorite X-men. Anyway, comments and constructive criticism, is again, welcome. Thank for reading!  
  
Disclaimer: I only own Crystal as well as Tim, Jenny, Roucher and Mrs. Gibson, although I guess they're not as important...LOL!  
  
In homeroom 10-D, Crystal awkwardly stumbled in a few moments after the bell - it had took her quite awhile to find the classroom in the unfamiliar setting-and quickly took a desk by the door which was the first desk in a row of five lined up against the wall. Lowering her head, she was grateful to see that her tardiness had gone unnoticed, her new peers too busy buzzing with chatter. Yet she couldn't help but feel awfully out of place.  
Soon, though, the homeroom teacher cleared her throat, calling them to attention. She was scanning over a memo as she began to address the class; "Attention children. IT seems as if we have a new student." She then looked up and studied the teenagers, looking for the stranger amongst them. The feeling of dread from earlier that morning instantaneously swept over Crystal, panic overwhelming her. Maybe she won't notice me, she thought desperately, as if praying.  
"Ah, there," the bubbly middle-aged teacher spotted her. With a quick glance down at the memo, she asked "Crystal, right?"  
"Yes," she nervously replied, lump in her throat and she averted her eyes to the desk. However, the teacher continued on merrily.  
"Well, stand up, dear." She gestured, smiling encouragingly. "Come on, dear." Reluctantly, Crystal obeyed, standing uneasily and gawkily. Instinctively, she stared down at her feet. "Class," the cheery teacher beamed for no real reason Crystal could see accept perhaps the delight of seeing the new student in utter humiliation, although she doubted this was the case, "This is Crystal Waters."  
Snickers emerged from the students, many who had been whispering and chatting the entire time. "Crystal Water? Is it Poland Spring? I only drink Poland Spring?" a boy chortled, followed by laughter.  
"Looks like the No Frills kind if you ask me," chimed another boy in a mutter and more laughter transpired.  
Crystal's face grew hot, her cheeks turning as red as her pale complexion would allow, which was a light tinge of pink. The teacher, nevertheless, didn't seem to notice Crystal's embarrassment, saying with a stupid grin "Well, then, Crystal. Welcome to Bayville High. I'm Mrs. Gibson. You many take your seat now." Crystal smiled weakly and immediately obeyed, slumping in her seat and starring at her desk once more, the giggles ringing in her ears as the classroom of students went back to talking and gossiping again.  
At that moment, Crystal remembered how much she hated her name. One time, after a similar incident had occurred, she had asked her Aunt Helen why her parents had chosen to name her "Crystal," especially when her last name was already "Waters." At this, a kind of disgusted long overtook her aunt's face, her nose wriggling up at the thought. Then, she curtly answered, speaking flatly, "Because you're father was a-hippie." And that was that.  
It was apparent Aunt Helen has disapproved of her sister's marriage to Crystal's father. At the same time, she didn't really approve of her younger sister's "hippie"-as she put it-tendencies. However, Crystal didn't really know her parents to make a valid judgment; the married couple had died in a fire when she was only 4 and then she went to live with her Aunt Helen, who had just lost her husband to cancer. For the last four years she had lived with her, and although her Aunt was strict, she was glad she was there she was there for her.   
The bell rung, signaling the end of homeroom, which Crystal, grateful, swiftly rushed out of into the now crowded corridor. She squinted down at her schedule, backpack slung across her left shoulder, and tried desperately to figure out where she was supposed to be going.   
Meanwhile, Kitty Pride and Kurt Wagner filed out of homeroom 10-D, as well, busily talking with one another. "I can't believe it. The winter formal is in three weeks! How am I going to find a date by then?" Kurt was exclaiming. Kitty laughed.  
"Don't worry, Kurt. I'm sure you'll find someone. I'm sure there's, like, a dozen girls who want to go with you."  
"Easy for you to say. You already know who you're going with." Kitty blushed slightly.  
"No, I don't," she quickly said.  
"Come on, Kitty! Lance has to ask you."   
"Like, he doesn't have to," She replied, blushing wildly now and having difficulty controlling her giddy excitement. Unable to resist, she added, "But I hope he does!"  
"Yeah, well-oh, hey there's Evan. I'll see you at lunch. Bye, Kitty!" Kurt told her, beginning to head in the opposite direction.  
"Bye, Kurt!" Kitty waved goodbye to her friend. She could hear Kurt calling out to Evan "Hey, Evan! Wait up! Three more weeks!" as she began heading down the hall. Suddenly, she noticed the new girl from homeroom walking slowly and clumsily, eyes buried in the small piece of paper in her hand, looking absolutely clueless.  
Quickening her pace, Kitty brushed passed to seniors to reach her and greeted her warmly, "Hi."   
"Huh?" Glancing up and looking around, Crystal was taken back to see Kitty beside her. "Oh, hello," she stammered.  
"Crystal, right?"  
"Ye-Yeah," she stuttered, finding herself having trouble forming coherent sentences, "But, uh, Crys - Crys is fine."  
Kitty smiled genially. "I'm Kitty Pryde. Do you need help? Maybe I can help. Like, what class do you have now?"  
"Oh, uh…" Crystal went back to studying her schedule. "…Ch-chemistry."  
"I know where that is. Come on, I'll show you." The two began walking, Kitty quickly pursuing a conversation. "The school's, like, not as big as it looks. After a few days, you'll have, like, no problem. I promise." Soon, they reached another hallway, a staircase to their right, and Kitty came to a halt. "Well, here you go. I have, like, Calculus now, but Chemistry's just down this hall on the left. I took it last year and it's not that bad. Mr. Brendon makes up, like, all the tests from the notes he gives in class, so just make sure get them, 'kay?"  
"Okay. Thanks." Crystal was having a hard time not staring at her feet, only intermittently glancing up at her new acquaintance.   
"Hey, like, maybe we have some other classes together. What's your schedule like?"   
"Oh, uh, here-" With unsteady hands, she clumsily handed her schedule to Kitty. Kitty skimmed over it, frowning slightly.  
"Hmm…it doesn't really look like-hey wait!" Kitty's face brightened, "We have, like, gym together!"   
"We-we do?"  
"Yeah! I'm, like, way bad at sports but it'll be fun. See ya later!" Kitty then waved good bye, proceeding up the stairs to where the math classrooms were.  
"B-Bye!" Crystal managed to choke out, but a slow relief was beginning to fill her stomach, feeling slightly better that somebody had befriended her and she hadn't made a complete moron of herself. Then again, she thought as she headed to her new chemistry class, I didn't really say anything…maybe I should try doing that more often. And at least now I know somebody, but oh no! I'm going to make a complete idiot of myself in gym. I hate gym! Her face grimaced at the thought of her last physical education class and she sighed, feeling deeply depressed again.  
  
Meanwhile, in his first period gym class, Fred was feeling rather depressed himself. With him was his good friend, Todd, the two sitting on the gym room floor waiting for their teacher to begin warm-ups. Kurt and Evan were coming out of the boy's locker room while Duncan, Tim, and a few other jocks and cheerleaders were sitting on the bleachers. Soon, Tabitha came strolling out of the girl's locker room, smirking slightly as she came up to Todd and Fred.  
"Hiya, guys. Looks like we're starting hockey, huh?" she stated, noting the goal nets placed at each end of the gym. "Well, there's nothing like kicking people's asses with sticks."  
"Yeah…" Fred grumbled, unable to prevent himself from glaring at his cousin with envy and timidity.  
"Hey, what's bugging him, Toad?" Tabby immediately asked, noticing the preoccupied look upon Fred's round face, "He's looking more absent-minded than usual."  
"Hey!" Todd declared, rising to his feet, "Show a little compassion. Can't you see the guy is hurting?"  
"Hmm?" Tabitha turned to study Fred more closely and placed her hands on her hips, "What's the problem, Freddie?"   
"Nothing!" Fred quickly defended himself, turning away with a huff and crossing his arms. However, Tabby had already caught on.  
"Oh, I see." She said, glancing over to where Fred is staring moments before, "Having family issues I take it."  
"No, I'm just…just, ok?" He mumbled, but his eyes began to wander back to his cousin. This time, though, Duncan noticed him staring enviously and a haughty expression formed on his face.   
"What you staring at, fatty?" he call out, scornfully , a harsh laugh escaping his throat and glaring at him pompously. The group laughed too, including Tim, but his laughter immediately stopped when his eyes met that of the deeply hurt Fred. Face growing intensely crimson, Fred was off the gym floor and on his feet and grew instinctively defensive.  
"I wasn't staring! Stop laughing at me! I said stop! I swear to God, I'm going pound your face into the floor!" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the gym. It looked like he was going to march right across the gym toward Duncan and his friends, and Evan and Kurt both stared at each other if trying to decide how to handle the situation. However, it was Tabby who quickly stood in front of her Brotherhood companion, placing her hands on his belly.  
"Cool it, Freddie!" she cautioned. Eyes still filled with pained rage, Fred's tense body eventually calmed slightly, and he relaxed, muttering to himself as he sat down. Duncan, who had gone completely white during the incident, relaxed as well, shrugging it off with cocky but nervous laugh. Tabby, though, turned to the popular crowd and gave them a sneering look, as if warning them to lay off, and they obeyed, beginning a new conversation. Rolling her eyes, Tabitha plopped on the floor next to Todd and Fred. Frowning upon seeing Fred's still dejected expression, Tabby spoke, "Hey, Freddie, don't let those jerks bother you, okay?"  
"I never said they-" He interrupted himself, as most of the gym did, when Taren came running in.   
"Guess what?" she exclaimed to the cluster of jocks and cheerleaders, "They've announced the nominees for Winter Formal King and Queen!" Duncan was at once eager, but stayed composed in front of his friends.  
"Oh, really?" he replied, coolly.  
"Yes! And I'm a nominee!"  
"Congratulations," Tim praised her.   
"Who else?" Duncan questioned curtly, his anxiety getting the best of him.  
"You! And Tim, too!" At this, Duncan gave his friend a quick glare who in response gave a weak smile and a shrug. Taren continued on, without regard to this exchange, her announcement being listened to by the entire gym. "Tori's running against you two, as well." Duncan raised an eyebrow.  
"Tori? That brain actually got nominated?"  
Tim also frowned, "He wants to run?"  
"I don't know!" Taren declared, obviously irritated, "Anyway, isn't this exciting?"  
"I suppose so," said Tim.  
"Suppose so?" spoke up another basketball player, Edward Roucher, "That's great, man!"  
"No big deal," Duncan swiftly brushed it aside, although a sly, cocky smirk had slipped across his face. "But, who else was nominated for Queen?"  
"Oh," Taren's face dropped, a sort of disgusted look appearing on her face. "Oh. Well, Jenny." She gestured toward a pretty petite blonde cheerleader sitting next to Roucher.   
Without hesitation, Jenny squealed, delighted, "Really? Wow! Really? Wow!"  
"Yes," Taren tried her best to keep a smile. Then she quickly muttered, "And Jean."  
"Jean?" Duncan questioned, the pompous smirk growing wider.   
"Yes, Jean." Taren stated, flatly.  
"Really? You don't say?" Duncan's mind was already stirring with thoughts of taking Jean to the Formal and him and her-which he knew it inevitably was going to come down to-would be crowned King and Queen.  
Instantaneously, Kurt and Evan turned to each other. "Oh no!" Kurt uttered, "If Duncan and Jean were both nominated for King and Queen…"  
"That would mean Duncan's going to ask Jean to the Formal…" Evan continued the thought.  
"And Scott's not going to get the chance to!" Kurt concluded. Evan shook his head.  
"This is not good, man."  
Meanwhile, Fred gritted his teeth, trying to control his jealously as he looked on. Why does Tim get everything? Why did he have to be nominated? It's not enough he's already perfect…and what do I get? Just a bunch of jokes and extra pounds…  
Fred sighed, and stared down at his plump belly. Look at me! I'm a stupid, fat slob. I've always been a stupid fat slob. I hate being a stupid fat slob.  
"Hey, Freddie, something wrong?" Todd asked, concerned. "Well, er, except, uh…well, you know…Tim and all-" Tabby hit him hard against the arm, giving him a look to tell him to shut up.  
"I said I didn't care!" Fred grew defensive again, turning away and focusing on a spot on the wall as to make sure he wasn't staring at anybody anymore. The anger in him began to melt, leaving behind a bitter pain within him. 


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you, again to everybody who reviewed. Before I write anything else, I want to just warn you now that I replaced Mr. Kelly with Mr. Graven because I wanted to add a kind of psyco principal for humor (I'm sorry if this upsets anybody, but I really never though Senator Kelly should've been principal, anyways). Ok, now that I've warned you all, here's some more of my yet to be titled fanfic (any ideas for a title, anybody?). Anyway, I hope it's enjoyable and I just want to add that I tried to write Kurt's dialouge reflecting his diction, but I don't think I was doing it right so I tried my best to write him but it was hard...well, you tell me what you think! Also, I just wanted to comment about Fred and Tim's relationship and say that I have a similar situation that RogueFanKC has and that was kind of the inspiration for it. I have this one cousin who is just so popular and pretty! LOL! The worst thing about it though, is that she's not really mean! Anyway, I decided to use Fred to reflect a similar situation (of course they're guys, but the feelings are still the same). Anyway, enough with the insight. Hopefully, in the next part, Crystal's mutant powers will be known (there are slight hints here), but I don't really want that to really be the focus anyways...anyway, here is the third chapter. Thanks for reading, please review, and most of all, enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: Same as Ch 1 and 2  
  
With a bundle of new text books and worksheets, Crystal struggled down the hall, wishing she could walk without drawing so much attention to herself. It seemed if everybody was staring at her, whispering and laughing at her feeble presentation and dull appearance. Her face flushed and she suddenly felt very hot.   
Whimpering and trying to quicken her pace, she finally reached her locker. Still straining, she reached out her right arm from underneath her books and fiddled with the knob. Her hands nervously trembled. One time. Two Times. Three times and still she could not manage to get the combination right. Twelve…twenty seven…elev-  
Her books fell out of her hands, hitting the floor and forming a disorganized pile of open textbooks and papers. Soft snickering arose throughout the hallway, and Crystal quickly knelt to pick up her things. I'm such a klutz, she thought, growing hotter with every moment, how can I be so clumsy?   
Suddenly, Crystal felt very dizzy and light-headed. The sickening feeling she was already feeling escalated into something more, herself growing very nauseas. Placing her right hand to her forehead, she closed her eyes tightly to try to relax and stop the disorientation she was feeling.   
Then it was over. Crystal's eyes fluttered open and she looked around without delay, making sure nobody was staring. Working even faster then before, she gathered her things as best she could-which turned out to be a chaotic clutter of her belongings in her arms-and stood up. What was that?, she wondered as her Aunt's voice came into her head; Crystal, how many times do I have to tell you to eat healthy? Crystal sighed, Maybe Aunt Helen's right…maybe I should start eating healthy…  
She reached out to try opening her locker again, but impulsively pulled her hand away. The knob was unbearably hot, scorching metal in fact. "Ow!" Crystal yelped, but she managed to scarcely hold onto her books. At the outcry, her fellow peers drew their attention to her which led her to bow her head, her long, unkempt hair hiding her blushing face. When she felt their harsh glares leave her, she turned back to her locker and frowned. Why is it so hot…?, she asked herself, perplexed. Hesitantly, she reached out for the knob again. Before touching it, she reluctantly stopped, then, with a deep breath and turning away with shut eyes, she grabbed it.  
Nothing. A sigh of relief escaped her and she went back to attempting to open her locker. Finally, she did, and she carelessly threw her books in, happy to alleviate her self of the weight. Still extremely warm, she took off her white sweater and threw it in there as well, leaving her scrawny arms bare. Finishing, she grabbed her lunch, which she had put in their earlier that morning, and closed the locker shut. A sensation of dread returned to her, churning her stomach without mercy. Out of all classes, besides maybe gym, she hated lunch the most.  
  
  
In the library, Evan and Kurt finally found Scott, studying quietly by himself at a round table. "Don't you understand, Scott?" Evan was saying, quite loudly.  
"I understand that you two have got to be quite," he whispered harshly.   
"Oh, sorry," Evan lowered his voice. "The thing is-"  
"I know; Jean and Duncan were nominated." Scott tried his best to show he didn't care, but his voice had grown a bit edgy.  
"Well, what are you going to do, Scott?" Kurt chimed in.  
"I don't know! I mean, nothing."  
"What do you mean, nothing?! I bet that right now-as we speak-Duncan is asking Jean to go with him to the Winter Formal while you waste time up here in the library when you should be down in the cafeteria!" Evan declared.  
"Shh!" came from a few students.   
"Sorry," Evan muttered.  
"I have to finish up this research paper," Scott rationalized, "Besides, everybody knows that the nominated Kings and Queens go together."  
"See, that our point, Scott," Kurt began, "You have to get nominated!"   
"Me?" Scott frowned, "I don't think that's going to work; there are all ready three nominees."  
"Granted," Evan agreed, "But rumor has it that you came in fourth; you're the runner up!"  
"Which means if you can get one to quit or talk to Mr. Graven…"  
"No! This is stupid, you guys. I'm not going to ask them to quit. And I'm definitely not going to go and talk with Mr. Graven. I don't even want to be King. The whole thing is stupid."  
"Is Jean stupid?" Evan questioned.  
"Yes-no-I don't know. Listen, Jean can do what she wants. I doesn't bother me either way; we're just friends. Let her go with Duncan. Or maybe not. It's none of my business. Now, if you don't mind, I really got to finish this. Hey-don't you two have to be in class?"  
"Well, uh-" Both stammered staring at each other.  
"Oh no!" Kurt blurted out, "My math teacher is going to - oh no!" He hurried out of the library, Evan after him.  
"We'll see you later, Scott. Just remember what we said, man! This can lead to-"  
"Shhh!" angry students whispered harshly.   
"Gee, sorry!" Evan then ran out, leaving Scott to contemplate what both Kurt and Evan had said.  
  
Fred pushed his way down toward the cash register, picking up various quantities of food and placing them on his tray along the way. Usually, he didn't eat as much as he was planning to today, but he was more depressed than usual and he needed to do something to cheer himself up. Over his shoulder, he could see his cousin Tim, receiving congratulations from various students along with Duncan, Taren, Jean, and Jenny. He gritted his teeth and placed a third pack of pudding on his tray. He hated lunch more than all his other classes. It was the only one in which he was entirely alone, all of his friends having lunch the period following his and he loathed it. All by himself, he would sit at a table in the corner and stuff his face uncontrollably. His peers would stare fascinated or shocked, and of course, many ridiculed him behind his back, laughing at his weight and stupidity.   
"That'll be-" The women at the cash register cut herself off, "Oh my, sonny, that's a lot of food for one person, don't you think?"  
"Just how much is it," he grumbled.   
She frowned and said after a couple moments of contemplation, "$21.75" Glowering, he placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill and some change.   
"Here." Trying her best to smile she took his money and handing him his change.  
"There you go. Have a nice day."  
"You too," he kind of mumbled as he headed to his table.  
However, firstly, he'd have to embarrassingly make his way through the cafeteria, trying his best to push his way through tables and chairs. "Excuse me," he muttered each time he passed by a table, growing redder with every instance. A sickening sensation formed as he grew nearer to the table filled with all the popular jocks and cheerleaders. Maybe they won't notice me…, he thought hopefully.  
"Hey, fatty, think you got enough food?" Duncan yelled out to him and began laughing obnoxiously, Fred standing just a foot or so away from the table.  
"Duncan!" Tim snapped and eyes glaring, himself looking a bit uncomfortable and embarrassed.  
"What?" He asked with some arrogance, but Tim was no longer paying attention.  
"Hey, Fred," he said, his voice strained and forced. Fred glanced around the table. Taren had her hands to her mouth, trying to muffle her laughter. Jean seemed preoccupied with being disgusted with Duncan, obviously angered by his cruelness, while Jenny looked up at Fred with wide frightened eyes. Roucher was still laughing stupidly, following Duncan's suit, who was pompously staring at Fred with disdain, a haughty smile spread across his handsome face.   
"Hey…" he mumbled awkwardly and then, without a word, pushed away, wanting his best to leave them. Their laughter rung out as soon as he was gone and he felt wholly humiliated. He gritted his teeth angrily, trying to fight the urge to run back and beat them all up, but his eyes suddenly spotted his table.  
Somebody else was sitting there. It was a gaunt, skinny girl with tousled hair who was meekly eating her lunch while trying to avoid all eye contact with her fellow students. Fred didn't know what to make of it but barreled over to her, his feet vibrating the whole cafeteria upon impact. When he reached the round table in the corner, he hovered over her breathing heavily. She looked up startled.  
For a moment they just stared at one another, neither knowing what to say. "I-" The girl began uncertainly when Fred spoke up.  
"Can I-" he began to ask but interrupted himself, pausing as insecurity swept over him. I'm not going to ask her if I can sit here! Say if she says no? Then what?, he thought. He cleared his throat and his expression grew intimidating and threatening, "You're sitting at my table." Her large, nervous eyes widened and she immediately sprung to her feet and began to gather her things.  
"Oh, I'm sorry! I, uh, didn't realize that you, uh, sat here. I'm always in the way and I, uh, really didn't mean to bother you, or anything, and, um, I, uh, I'm really, really sorry." She spoke very quickly, her words slurring together in one barely coherent jumble, and she never looked at him as her glare remained focused on staring down at the table.  
"Good." Fred said strangely after a moment, a bit surprised, and sat down as she was preparing to leave. Watching her, he suddenly felt bad, and started, "Uh…you know…uh…well, you can still sit here if you like…"  
"Oh, no, that's ok…" she trailed off with a quivering voice.  
"Oh." Fred said flatly, suddenly feeling stupid for saying anything.  
"I, uh, wouldn't want to be in the way. I'm sure there's plenty of places for me to, uh, sit and uh, eat of course. I won't bother you anymore." However, when she glanced around the cafeteria she saw all the tables were occupied and a sinking sensation filled her as she uttered a moan.  
"It won't bother me!" Fred blurted out without thinking, and hated himself for it afterwards. Turning scarlet he stared at the wall and quickly grunted, "I don't care either way."  
"Oh…" Staring at her feet, strands of hair falling across her face, she said, "Ok." Surprised, he looked back at her.  
"You mean, you'll sit here? With me?"  
"No! I meant, uh…well, I thought…but, I'll just leave…" she trailed off, discomfited.   
"No, I uh, didn't mean that. You can sit down. It's a free country and all…" Fred was having difficulty with his words.  
"All right. Thank you." and so she sat, rather sheepishly, glancing at the wall for a while before staring down at her lunch, which was a mush peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, a fruit punch, and an apple. Studying her, he noticed that her hands shook with every movement, whether it be lifting her sandwich or drink to her mouth or wiping her sticky hands with her napkin. Also, her eyes appeared sad and uncertain of herself. Not wanting to stare for long, Fred immediately began to eat his large lunch almost like an animal, himself growing very nervous and anxious. He figured if he kept eating he'd ease his tension and wouldn't have to talk with her and say something stupid. As he gobbled, she took small bites, looking like she was having difficulty swallowing as if fighting a lump in her throat.   
The silence ensued for ten minutes, both only glancing up at one another intermittently and then quickly glancing back down. Finally, noticing her meager meal and feeling like a pig for eating so much, Fred asked, "Uh, do you want some?"  
"Oh!" she was startled by his voice, accustomed to the silence. "No, that's all right. Thank you, though."  
"Well, ok…I was just wondering, because, uh, well, I don't really feel like eating anymore…" he lied, forcing himself to push his tray of food-although much of it had been eaten-away from him.  
"Oh…um…well, I guess so…" she placed down her apple, having already finished her sandwich. Hesitantly, she reached out toward his tray with her shaky hand, but couldn't decide what to pick as if trying to see what he would think of her.  
"I recommend the chips-they're actually kind of good. Well, you know, if you, uh, like chips, that is." He wouldn't allow his eyes to meet hers, so he stared at the wall, then the ceiling, and then the floor.   
"I like chips!" she exclaimed eagerly, grew red and shrunk back into her seat with a nervous laugh. She grabbed the chips and began to munch on them nervously. "Thank you."  
"Oh, uh…yeah…uh, your welcome, I mean…uh, what's your name?" He suddenly inquired, realizing he did not know and was stupid enough not to ask.  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have, uh, introduced myself before and I guess, I, uh, forgot…my name's Cryst-" she interrupted herself and then continued, "Crys. Crys Waters."  
"That's, uh nice. I, uh, always liked that name." He said, idiotically, and felt himself grow hot again.   
"Thanks," she laughed nervously again, and asked, "Um, what's your name?"  
"I'm Fred. Fred Dukes. Uh, my friends sometimes call me Freddie, but uh, you can call me that if you want to."  
"All right. Well, it's uh, very nice to meet you Fred-or uh, Freddie."  
"You too," he managed to mumble, noticing that she had timidly offered her trembling hand for him to shake. Uneasily, he extended his hand as well, his arm so stout and hers so bony, and clumsily, the two shook. Then, they withdrew their hands back to them timorously, and smiling shyly, they glanced away, both feeling extremely embarrassed and wondering what the other one was thinking. 


End file.
